WHY YOU'RE TRAPPED IN LIFE
Ask about The Diary Of A CEO
Brief Summary
Buridan's donkey illustrates our conflicting desires and the paralysis of choice.
Key points
- Buridan's Donkey. A philosophical experiment illustrating the paralysis of choice.
Transcript
Here's an actual carrot. And here's actual water. Let's pretend this is a donkey. In Buridan's philosophy experiment from a couple hundred years ago, the donkey is hungry and thirsty. He has complete freedom. He can move. And he's halfway between a pile of carrots and a bucket of water. And he's trapped. Because every time he moves toward the water, he's moving away from the carrot. Can't do that cuz he's hungry. And every time he moves toward the carrot, he's moving away from the water. Can't do that cuz he's thirsty. And so, in the experiment, because we're trapped, we end up dying of hunger and thirst. All of us do this, and we do it with one simple word, which is but. I
want this, but I also want that. I want to have a creative life, but I never want to get rejected. I want to run the marathon, but I don't want to get tired. And we hide the but. We don't say the but out loud.
